HEALTH & FITNESS Bannatyne comments spark debate


Bannatyne Group chair Duncan Bannatyne has sparked a lively debate among industry leaders over the issue of membership discounts. In his recent book, Riding the


Storm, the entrepreneur – famous for his role on hit TV show Dragons’ Den – claimed discounting at some of his clubs had attracted “problem members.” Bannatyne said dropping monthly fees from £42 to £29 had devalued the brand and changed the atmosphere at the clubs. “More and more, people are try-


Crash dieting could reverse the eff ects of diabetes


Scientists hail obesity crash-diet potential


Bannatyne thinks discounting has attracted “problem members”


ing it on, trying to sneak in a friend without paying, or making complaints in the hope of getting money back,” he said. T e comments have drawn a wide range of


views from industry leaders, which are fea- tured in the January edition of Health Club Management magazine. Tim Baker, from market research com-


pany Touchstone Partners, disagrees with the 64-year-old Scotsman, saying he had never


heard of discounting attracting the ‘wrong sort of member.’ He said: “If gyms are fi nd- ing they have to discount in order to attract members, it’s probably because they’re not off ering the right product for the catchment. T e maturation of the market into no frills low-cost gyms versus full-service premium clubs means there’s now less need to discount.” Details: http://lei.sr?a=Y2m5m


Dramatic rise in obesity in developing nations


Adult obesity levels in developing nations has almost quadrupled to an estimated one bil- lion since 1980, according to a report from a UK think tank. T e Overseas Development Institute has


said that one in three people worldwide are now overweight and urged governments to do more in shaping and infl uencing diets. In the UK 64 per cent of adults are classed as


being overweight or obese and the report has predicted a “huge increase” in heart attacks, strokes and the onset of diabetes. Between 1980 and 2008, the number of


adults classed as having a body mass index greater than 25 grew from 23 per cent to 34 per cent globally. Details: http://lei.sr?a=v6M5C


One in three people worldwide are now overweight


Innovation and business solutions for retail, hospitality & leisure –


all under one roof RBTE combines an exhibition with a FREE seminar and conference programme offering hospitality and leisure operators the solutions to their key business challenges


CONFERENCE & SEMINARS, 300+ SUPPLIERS ...all FREE to attend


FREE REGISTRATION NOW OPEN at www.rbtexpo.com Europe’s leading event for the retail industry


Scientists may be on the verge of a major breakthrough in the battle against obesity, aſt er trials found a short-term crash diet can reverse the eff ects of type 2 diabetes in a matter of weeks. T e research, conducted at Newcastle


University, found that putting overweight diabetics on an 800-calorie per day diet, could restore natural insulin levels and return them to health. Type 2 diabetes, which unlike type 1 is


closely linked to obesity, is thought to be caused by excess fat around the pancreas and liver which reduces insulin production. In healthy people, the liver should only


contain around 2 per cent fat, whereas this can exceed 40 per cent in obese people. A recent report found that obesity lev-


els of adults in developing nations have almost quadrupled to an estimated one billion since 1980, putting millions more at risk of diabetes. Professor Roy Taylor, director of


Newcastle University’s magnetic reso- nance imaging (MRI) centre, who led the initial study, described the early fi ndings as “enormously exciting,” according to T e Sunday Times. “We demonstrated that by changing


calorie intake we could change fat lev- els in the liver and pancreas and return insulin production to normal,” he said. Details: http://lei.sr?a=s2a4U


11–12th March 2014


DIARY DATE


Earls Court, London


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24